Interchangeable ballast gondola plow-car.



J. ANDERSON.

INTERCHANGEABLE BALLAST GONDOLA PLOW CAR. APPLICATION FILED sE'PT. 2, I9I5.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

J. ANDERSON.

INTERCHANGEABLE'BALLAST GONDOLA PLOW CAR.

APPLICATION FILED senz. 1915.*

1,172,246. Y Patented Feb. 22,1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

LANDERSON. l INTERCHANGEABLE BALLAST GONDOLA PLOW CAR.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 2, 1915.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

- citizen of the United States, residin TENS ANDERSCN, 0F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

INTEBCHANGEABLE BALLAST GONDOL PLOW-CAR.

Specification of Letters `atent.

Patented Feb. 22, 1916..

Application meiseptember 2, 1915. Serial No. 48,601.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, JENs ANDERSON', a p,

at Chicago, inthe county of Cook and tate of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Interchangeable Ballast Gondola Plow-Gars, of which the- `following is a full, clear, concise, and exactv description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in interchangeable ballast gondola plow Car.

One object of the invention is to provide an interchangeable car of` the type above indicated so arranged that certain sections of the floor, when the car is being used as a gondola or plow car, are adapted to beA positioned vertically to form the end Walls of the car when the latter is being used as a ballast or hopper car.

Another object of the inventionis to provide a car of the interchangeable type above indicated so arranged that the load, when the car is .being used asa ballast car, is distributed over a greater length of the car than has hitherto been customary and thereby decreasing the concentration of the load.

The invention furthermore consists in the parts and devices and novel combination of the parts and devices as herein shown, described and claimed. e

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a horizontal sectional view of a portion of the car, the sec# tion being taken just above the floor line of the car, the upper half of the figure illustrating the arrangement'of the parts when the car is being used asa gondola or plow car, and the lolwer half of the figure illustrating-the arrangement of the vparts when the car is being used as a ballast car. Fig.' 2 is a longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1,. parts being broken awayv in order 'to .prevent crowding of. the drawing. Fig. 3-is a vertical sectional `view, illustrating moreparticularly the arrangement of the *flooring* when the car is being used `as a gondola or plow car, the section being substantially on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical sectional View taken sub'- stantially on the broken line 4 4 of Fig. l,

boards 17 as indicated dinally extending members or rails '16-16 secured to the tops of the posts, narrow fixed side boards 17--17 extending longitudinally of the car beneath the rails 16, and side dumping doors 18-18 extending full length of the car, -said doors being plvoted along their upper edgesto the fixed at 19-l9. The doors 18 are held in their closed position by means of straps 20 secured to the lower edges of said doors, each of said straps being provided with a loop 21 with which coperates a keeper or latch 22, the keepers 22 being mounted on longitudinally extending operatin shafts 23-23 on each side ofthe car. he shafts 23 may be operated by any suitable mechanism at the ends of the car as will be understood.

Each car isy provided with a hopper section intermediate the trucks, each hopper section comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending hoppers A-A, each hopper having a center dump hinged door 24, the latter being pivoted along their upper edges to hinge butts 25 secured to the center sill as clearly'illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. Any suitable mechanism may be employed for operating the doors 24,-the operating shafts for said doors being located as .indicated in section at 26-26. At the ends nearest the ends of the car, the hoppers Aare provided with vertical hopper sheets 27 which are located below the center sills and with inclined hopper sheets 28 which extend from the tops of the hopper `sheets27 up to the floor level of the car and to points above `the inner wheels of the trucks, as clearly indicated in Fig. 2. When the car is being used as a ballast or hopper car, the bottoms 'of the hoppers A are.y

formed by ioor sections 29-29, the latter yhaving their lower edges resting upon longitudinallyextending Z bars 30, and their upper edges resting against the side sills or girders 11-11. When the car is beingused as `a fiat bottom gondola or plow car, said door sections occupy the positionY indicated most clearly in theright -hand portion of Fig. 4 and the top of Fig. 1, said floor sections 29 then resting along their inner edges are of such length that they extend between .29 form the bottoms of the hoppers.

thel vertical hopper sheets 27 and vertical hopper sheets (not shown) at the opposite ends of the hoppers A, when the sections It will also be apparent that said sections .29 when forming a portion of the floor cover those portions of the hoppers A for which said sections form the bottoms thereof.

Those portions of the hoppers A at the ends which are designated as A in Figs. l and 2, and which have the inclined sheets 28 for the bottoms thereof, are covered by pivoted fioor sections 31 which extend from side to side of the car, said sections 31 being pivoted along their outer or lower edges (depending upon the position of the sections3l) as indicated at 32-32- Said floor sections 31,

when in horizontal position, complete the' flooring of the car between the permanent end floors 13 and the floor sections 29 when the car is being used as a fiat bottom gondola or plow car, as clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 3. Each pivoted section 21 consists of a plurality of transversely extending boards suitably secured by U-shaped plates 33 at the ends thereof as indicated in Fig. 1 and are braced by means of angle irons 34 secured at intervals thereon on the 'under side, when said members occupy a horizontal position'. When the car-is employel as a. ballast car, said pivoted iioor sections 31 are adapted to be moved to a vertical position as indicated most clearly in Fig. 2 and in this position they form the end walls of the car when it is used as a ballast car. To retain the sections 31 in vertical position, I have provided slidable bolts or latches 35 at the upper edges thereof, which latches or bolts are adapted to have their ends inserted in the suitable holes 36 (see Fig. 4) formed in the fixed side walls 17, the latter having secured thereto plates 37 through which the latches 35 extend, to thereby provide a more permanent construction.

In order to maintain the proper level of the car floor covered by the floor sections 29, I have provided central and side longitu- .dinally extending floor boards 38 and 39 mounted on the center and side sills respectively. (See Figs. 1 and 4.)

From the preceding description, it will be seen that I have provided a car which may be readily adapted for any one of a number of different services, and furthermore, the arrangement is such, that a minimum number of parts are. employed thereby decreasing not only the first cost but the dead weight `of the car.r Another important advantage of my improvement resides in the fact that by employing vthe pivoted floor-end wall sections 3l, the hoppers can be extended to points over the truck wheels thereby distributing the ballast load over a greater area, increasing the ballast carrying capacity and minimizing the concentration of the load. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the hinged side dumping doors 18-18, adapt the car for plow service in the usual manner, when the pivoted floor sections 31 and floor sections 29 are arranged in horizontal position.

Although I have herein shown and described whatI now consider the preferred embodiment of my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications as come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim- 1. In an interchangeable plow, hopper ballast car and having fixed end floors and a central hopper section, pivoted fioor sections at the ends of the hoppers, said floor sections in horizontal position forming a portion of the fioor over the ends of the hoppers and, inwertical position, forming the entire, vertical end walls of the car when the latter is being used as a ballast car, whereby when said pivoted floor sections are in horizontal position over the ends of the hoppers, a plow may be moved lengthwise of lthe car throughout its entire length. y

2. In an interchangeable plow, hopper ballast car having fixed end floor portions and an intermediate hopper section, the end 'portions of the hoppers extending up to points over the inner wheels of the trucks, movable sections adapted to form the floor portions over said end portions of the hoppers when in horizontal position, said members being movable to a vertical position above said inner wheels of the trucks to thereby form the complete, vertical end walls of the car when the same is being used as a ballast car, whereby when said pivoted fioor sections are in horizontal position over the ends of the hoppers, a plow may be moved lengthwise of the car throughout its entire length.

3. An interchangeable flat bottom .gondola ballast car having fixed end floor portions and a hopper section intermediate the trucks. the hopper section comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending hoppers, the ends of said hoppers adjacent the ends of the car' being'provided with upwardly and outwardly inclined hopper bottom sheets extending to points above the inner wheels of the trucks, and floor sections extending ytransversely7 of the car and pivoted along their outer edges adjacent the inner edges of said fixed floor sections. said pivoted fioor sections when in horizontal position covering `only rthose portions of the hoppers above said inclined hop er bottom sheets, and in vertical position\ orming the end walls of the car when the latter is being used as a ballast car, whereby when said pivoted Hoor sections are in vertical f ter dump hopper door, permanent end ioor sections, and pivoted floor sections adapted to cover portions of said hoppers when in horizontal position, the remalnder of the car floor between said pivoted floor sections being formed by floor sections bodily displaceable from a horizontal position over the hoppers to an inclined position Within the hoppers to form the bottoms thereof.

5. In a car of the character described, the combination with a car body provided with pivoted side doors and a hopper section intermediate the trucks, said car having 'means for forming the floor thereof when the same is used as a fiat bottom gondola or plow car, said means consistin of iXed floor sections, bodily displaceable oor sections, said pivoted and bodily displaceable floor sections covering the hopper section when said pivoted and displaceable floor sections are in horizontal position.

.6. In a car of the character described having a hopper section intermediate the trucks, means for forming the oor'of the car when same is used as a fiat bottom gondola or plow car, said means consisting of fixed Hoor sections, pivoted floor sections, and bodily displaceable floor sections, said pivoted and bodily displaceable ioor sections, when in horizontal position, covering the hopper section, the displaceable floor sections being shiftable to a position below the Hoor level to thereby form the hopper bottoms.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 13th day of August, 1915.

JENs ANDERSON.

pivoted floor sectlons, and. 

